An extremely rare megamouth shark has been caught off the coast of Shizuoka in Japan in what is thought to be only the 58th sighting ever of the deep-water animal.

The female shark was caught at a depth of 2,600 feet (792.5 metres) and weighed close to 1,500 pounds.

Unsurprisingly, the species' name derives from its disproportionately huge head and the massive capacity of its mouth, which it keeps open as it swims to scoop up plankton and jellyfish from the water.

Only 13 megamouth sharks have been recorded off the coast of Japan.

Experts hope the animal's necropsy, which was watched by 1,500 people, will enhance our understanding of the elusive creature.

The sharks can grow to a maximum length of between 17 and 18 feet (5.2 and 5.5 metres), and were only recognized as a species around 30 years ago when the first megamouth was caught in the sea anchor of a U.S. navy ship off the coast of Hawaii.